Overcome The Gear Of Fear

Most top players know instinctively, based on experience and their skills of intuition, when to make the stand. Let me elaborate.

know when to make a stand

1- Use blind stealing as a strategy: Learn when to make a move that has a realistic chance of picking up the antes and blinds without it being obvious to your opponents that you are stealing.

2- Use your table image to your advantage: The pro player will use his table image, as well as his knowledge of his opponents’ play, to choose the moment to make a stand, which he hopes he can win without a battle.3- Gain experience — spend time playing: Good players try to frame their opponents in the player categories to which they think they belong. This is learned through many years of experience and stands them in good stead when it becomes time to pick their spot.4- Risk a move before your stack is too short: If a pro player feels he is at risk of becoming low stacked, he will try to make a move before he gets to the low stack. In doing so, other players will not suspect that he is making a steal.

Howard Lederer is a great example of a player who uses these strategies to perfection. Not only does he protect his stack and blinds by raising or reraising the raiser, but he is also protecting himself from the possibility of becoming low stacked in the near future. He gets through the battlefield in early stages using his powerful and experienced game. Dangerous? Yes… occasionally, but it’s generally a very successful strategy, as he is able to draw on years of experience in order to maximize its success.

how does this help you?

It doesn’t, unless you accept the fact that in order to have a better chance of becoming a winner, you always need to have a plan and strategy ready. The Gear of Fear is always waiting around the corner for any tournament player. If you are not willing to battle — don’t start the fight. Good luck with your game and try to be the aggressor before your opponents realize that they can eat you alive.